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#Post#: 589--------------------------------------------------
Seeing Double (closed)
By: DEM Date: December 22, 2024, 9:09 pm
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[float=right max=45%][img
width=300]
HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/14c05210-c0d5-11ef-a48e-31e9bf2df54e.jpg[/img][/float]
[center]Brigid Kenneally, a.k.a. Saint
Dear sister, can you help me lie?
I’ve told the truth so many years
But no one seems to wanna hear that
I’m not someone else inside[/center]
App 6 | Innocent | Charisma 4 | Seductive | Mildly Identical to
Morgan
[hr]
WHAM! The door of the cafe shudders for a moment, then shudders
again with a second impact. For a very long moment, nothing
happens. Then... slowly, oh so slowly, the door begins to open.
But it's not the cautious motion that happens when someone
enters the room in an unsure way. No no, this is more of the
slow, but free-swinging creeeak of a door that's been feebly
pushed open.
Then the bodies hit the floor.
Groaning.
Ok, so it's not bodies, in the strictest sense. I mean, it is,
but we're not done using them! So it's people! With, you know,
bodies. I mean, it's not disembodied people. That'd be awkward.
Of course we wouldn't need to open the door if we were
disembodied people. But we're not, so we did. And then we fell
down, because, you know, hitting the door face-first hurt.
Groaning, I slowly manage to untangle myself from Morgan as we
start to get to our feet.
<Morg?> The long-standing mental link should still be working,
and if it's not I'm gonna be exceedingly put out. <Where do you
think that Eshu sent us?>
We'd been on the run after a couple of jobs went bad, and a
contact of a contact assured us he could get us someplace where
they wouldn't catch us. Then he makes a portal, and we step
through, only to end up going face-first into a wooden freaking
door. Which, you know, like I said: ow.
Time to look around, get our bearings, and figure out where we
are and what we're going to do next. Huh. Looks like... a bar?
#Post#: 590--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: Chance Date: December 22, 2024, 9:16 pm
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[float=right max=40%][img
width=300]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/morgan01.jpg[/img][/float]
Morgan Kenneally aka Sinner[br](aka Morghaine Aithne ni
Scathach)
HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G9hbxrYkRg-EUJgNJZkoTD0TsFkvCJ4H/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104997028796321335810&rtpof=true&sd=true
I have a dream, I've seen the light
Don't put it out, and she's alright
Yeah, she's my sister
Gunbunny sidhe | App 6 | Scathach Knight | Kinda identical to
Brigid
[hr]
I pick myself up as quickly as I can, alert and worried about
whatever the frag we just dropped our sweet little hoops into.
I'm up and on my feet swiftly, too swiftly for an ordinary
person, but the chrome'll do that for you, even if it's made of
biomaterial.
<Fragged if I know>, I reply, shaking my head, eyeing the room
with assessing suspicion, <But judging from the lack of chrome
on the patrons in this place and the antiquated flatvid screens,
I'm guessin' the better question might be when did that slot
send us.>
It's some kinda bar-café place, and it definitely doesn't look
like a place that caters to 'runners. Too many lights, too many
open spaces, not enough walls to put your back against. No
white-noise generators on tables, even, and the music is weird
and unfamiliar, nothing like anything we'd known and enjoyed
back... home? Do I even wanna say home when the last real home
we had was Portland, until they tried to make me swear fealty?
I turn to give Brig a hand up; all of this assessment took place
in a smattering of seconds.
As I'm doing this, a humie steps up, one who's even taller than
us, and offers her his hand with a knowing smile.
<...I got a bad feeling about this.>
[hr]
[float=right
max=45%]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lucien325-224x300.jpg[/float]
Lucien
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/ooc-information/room-host-and-staff/chance/
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask, 'What if I fall?'
Oh, but my darling,
What if you fly?
NPC | Baristo and Proprietor of the Anywhere Café
[hr]
"Hello, Brigid. Hello, Morgan. Welcome to my place, the Anywhere
Café. Perhaps you ladies would like a drink or something to eat?
A place to sit? Perhaps, some clue of where the hell you are?"
His smile is a little too catlike, a little too sly... and
Brigid knows it all too well.
"Call me Lucien," he says, and motions them toward a table,
while someone from the back of the restaurant portion of the
place comes to take over the coffee bar.
The café is definitely cozy. The shelves on the walls are filled
with actual paper books, lots of them, and there's a couple of
flatvid screens as Morg mentioned, over the coffee bar.
Strangely, they appear to be showing the time in various zones.
The chairs look comfy, and the whole place is clean and
well-kept.
"Perhaps I could start you with some coffee and a little
something to go with it?"
Coffee. Not 'kaf. This is definitely upscale, probably well out
of their price range, but since 'Lucien' seems to have decided
to play host, it all seems to be working out.
#Post#: 591--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: DEM Date: December 22, 2024, 9:49 pm
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[float=left max=45%][img
width=300]
HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/14c05210-c0d5-11ef-a48e-31e9bf2df54e.jpg[/img][/float]
[center]Brigid Kenneally, a.k.a. Saint
Dear sister, can you help me lie?
I’ve told the truth so many years
But no one seems to wanna hear that
I’m not someone else inside[/center]
App 6 | Innocent | Charisma 4 | Seductive | Mildly Identical to
Morgan
[hr]
Ok, I know we didn't give the Eshu our actual given names, and
he didn't have any time to call ahead, so...
Then that smile comes... And I don't know if I'm relieved or
even more alarmed. Things we learned in Denver... of course He'd
be able to be here... but that doesn't necessarily mean that him
showing up, and showing up in such an... obvious... way... is in
any way a good thing.
"Lucien," I nod a little. <Morg, it's Sam, but it's not Sam. I
dunno what he's playing at this time, but there's gotta be some
game in play.> Not that I think he'd endanger us... not Sam.
That'd be shooting himself in the foot. Or at least, I don't
think he'd endanger us pointlessly. Maybe he hijacked us? We
would've gone one place, and he shorted our ride out to end up
here, where he's got.... uhm... coffee?
"Like, the real thing? Actual kaf, not soy?" I let myself be
guided over toward the table, and settle in like I'm right at
home. I mean, he's offering, right? And we've still got our
gear... worst case, we shoot our way out, and I spend a whole
lot of time paying it off. And hey! Maybe he's got a job lined
up! Somehow... I kinda doubt this is the kind of place that
takes corpscrip. "I guess we could eat. Uhm.. so... Lucien,
right? Where... are we? Everything looks a little... I dunno...
old-timey?"
#Post#: 592--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: Chance Date: December 23, 2024, 8:28 am
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[float=right max=40%][img
width=300]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/morgan01.jpg[/img][/float]
Morgan Kenneally aka Sinner[br]aka Morghaine Aithne ni Scathach
HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G9hbxrYkRg-EUJgNJZkoTD0TsFkvCJ4H/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104997028796321335810&rtpof=true&sd=true
I have a dream, I've seen the light
Don't put it out, and she's alright
Yeah, she's my sister
Gunbunny sidhe | App 6 | Scathach Knight | Kinda identical to
Brigid
[hr]
That damn Eshu better not have plopped us into... well, we have
no idea what the frag they plopped us into, let's be honest.
And oh... oh boy... it's Sam, up close and personal. And, to be
honest, novahot. I haven't talked to him as Brig has, haven't
encountered her benefactor-totem-angel like she has, but now I'm
seeing him, and... he looks like an ordinary human, and yet, he
looks like there's something golden and glorious shining through
the cracks, something irresistible.
Did I already say I don't like this at all?
"Lucien," I echo Brig, a chummy little smile on my lips. <I hope
we're not the game, I have a real problem with landing on
someone's metaphorical plate for their delectation.>
We follow, walking in unison without really trying, My strides
are faster, but the motions are so alike as to be distracting,
with one of us moving at a slightly different pace than the
other. People look up at us, but that may just be for the usual
reason of having novahot twin elves walking into the room. Well,
ain't that just the wizzest of all that's wiz.
"Actual coffee from beans," I say, with a dreamy smile for a
moment. I've had it before. In Portland... Tir Tairngire... once
upon a time. Why couldn't they have just let me be me? Swearing
fealty was never going to happen.
I slide into a seat with boneless grace. "I could eat," I agree.
Then I hear Brigid out, and nod my agreement, then I take the
menu he offers from nowhere -- damn magickers always having
their tricksy tricks -- and grin as I study it. It doesn't occur
to me that the burgers are real, not yet, at least, and I order
one. With bacon. Once again, I'm assuming it's facon.
Once we've put in orders, I pull out the trusty old WNG. Sorry,
nosy people, this is a private conversation. The barista
approaches with something that smells heavenly -- this is the
scent that 'kaf wishes it had -- and places three mugs before
us, along with soymilk and sugar, than smiles and scurries off.
"So," I say to him, more directly, "Yeah, what she said. Why is
everything weird here?"
[float=right
max=45%]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lucien325-224x300.jpg[/float]
Lucien
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/ooc-information/room-host-and-staff/chance/
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask, 'What if I fall?'
Oh, but my darling,
What if you fly?
NPC | Baristo and Proprietor of the Anywhere Café
[hr]
Lucien is amenable to all of this; he remains calm and smiling,
pleased somehow even at the suspicion and the curiosity. The
other patrons eventually go back to their own conversations,
still glancing this way periodically. It's not every day Lucien
joins a patron, after all.
"Well. Let's start with the where. And the when." He sits back,
preparing for a longish explanation as he takes a sip from his
own coffee, black as sin and sweet as a stolen kiss. His teeth
show in his smile at first, but he tones it down a little. "In
the reality to which this place is connected, it is the year
2024. Almost 2025. And it's not your 2024. There was no Ghost
Dance. There was no Goblinization. This world is full of
humanity, not metahumanity. But," he adds, with a hint of a
smile, "There is magic of many sorts and always has been.
Brigid, you will find your power much more flexible and pliable
here, especially, but in the world beyond, also true, though it
has a cost."
He pauses, and backs up. "I should say, first, that I am the one
you know as Sam... but I'm not specifically your Sam. I am a
shard of this world's Sam, who exists in many bodies and many
shapes, because we're too large for one entity. But... because
we are all essentially the same Sam, and because we know one
another's worlds through the connection of being parts of the
greater whole... I am who you think I am. just... a different
aspect. What that means for you is that because you had to come
to this place for safe haven, I will be taking on my
brother-self's connection with you, if you accept. If not, we
can work out some other solution. I am nothing if not
resourceful."
He holds a hand up to Morgan, who looks as if she's about to
protest. "Morgan, while you are delightful in so many ways, this
is a pact between Brigid and me. It must be her decision, and
while I know she will need to decide this for both of you, she
must make it alone. Choices matter, and this one is the largest
of all."
He sips again, and lets his dark-golden eyes rest on Brigid. "I
can also tell you more of this world before you choose, if you
prefer. That's a fair request. But I will tell you that while
the form of things may change a little here and there, like the
fit of different clothing, it's still essentially the same
clothing. In either case, you will both be free to stay here in
comfort upstairs, until you work out what you want to do for
yourselves."
A pause. "If you choose to go back to your own world, I can do
that, but the danger still remains, and since it's not my world,
I can't intervene. Sam-of-that-world could, but he already did
in getting you to me, so I'm not sure how happy he'd be about
it."
#Post#: 599--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: DEM Date: December 23, 2024, 12:52 pm
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[float=left max=45%][img
width=300]
HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/14c05210-c0d5-11ef-a48e-31e9bf2df54e.jpg[/img][/float]
[center]Brigid Kenneally, a.k.a. Saint
Dear sister, can you help me lie?
I’ve told the truth so many years
But no one seems to wanna hear that
I’m not someone else inside[/center]
App 6 | Innocent | Charisma 4 | Seductive | Mildly Identical to
Morgan
[hr]
<No, you usually prefer to choose when you’re going to be
delectable.> Nope, not even bothering to keep the amusement or
approval out of the link there. Morgan is what she is, and I
wouldn’t have her any other way. Just one more of the many tools
in our kit, and well, Morgan does ‘aloof’ really, really well.
It also makes things really hilarious when we need to get
someone wrapped around our fingers: Morgan does the ‘so
untouchable you want her more’ routine, and then I swing in
pretending to be her and turn on the charm.
Yeah, the games work best when nobody knows there’s two of us.
But that’s the advantage of being one-and-a-half people, isn’t
it?
Then Lucien keeps talking, and I focus on paying attention to
what it is he’s saying. He’s Sam-but-not-Sam. Otherworld-Sam,
and we are currently in Otherworld. So this is some sort of
metaplane? Or… a metaplane for another reality? Or some kind of…
<My head hurts.>
But that also means that right now… I’m not pacted to him, or to
anyone, in this world. Do I need to be? Do I want to be?
“Ok,” I nod, flashing !Sam a wide smile as I contemplate a
nefarious plot to steal part of Morgan’s burger. Naaaah. I’ll
just get exactly the same thing she’s getting. And steal her
fries.
“That sounds like a really good idea: why don’t you tell us more
about… well, here, but also the ‘reality’ that ‘here’ is
casually attached to. And just how screwy is our clothing,
here?”
#Post#: 600--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: Chance Date: December 23, 2024, 3:36 pm
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[float=right max=40%][img
width=300]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/morgan01.jpg[/img][/float]
Morgan Kenneally aka Sinner[br]aka Morghaine Aithne ni Scathach
HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G9hbxrYkRg-EUJgNJZkoTD0TsFkvCJ4H/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104997028796321335810&rtpof=true&sd=true
I have a dream, I've seen the light
Don't put it out, and she's alright
Yeah, she's my sister
Gunbunny sidhe | App 6 | Scathach Knight | Kinda identical to
Brigid
[hr]
<Of course I do.> A little smile finds its way toward my twin,
and I find myself approving as well. My little saint-sister is a
better charm-magnet than me, but I don't mind that at all. I'm
good at lots of things, I don't need to be good at them all.
Right? Right. She's a real, full-fledged magician, for one,
whereas I just know elven magics like the Dragon's Ire. Which is
nothing to sneeze at, mind you. Not at all.
I'm listening to Lucien as well, and my brain is starting to
pound with the possible impossibility of it. We're in a... what
the fuck? A world of ideas? So... sort of like dreams but
different?
<Mine too. This fraggin' drek is your area of expertise, not
mine!>
[hr]
[float=right
max=45%]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lucien325-224x300.jpg[/float]
Lucien
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/ooc-information/room-host-and-staff/chance/
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask, 'What if I fall?'
Oh, but my darling,
What if you fly?
NPC | Baristo and Proprietor of the Anywhere Café
[hr]
And thus does 'Sam' begin to explain further, amused as the
light in Brigid's eyes tells him that she's seeking an angle.
But of course she is! He'd be shocked if she wasn't. Part of her
delightful self.
"Well," Lucien begins, "The world we're connected to is... very
different from yours in some ways. Not so much in others. Would
you like me to continue explaining or give you a quick...
download of sorts to show you what you're looking at? It might
make it easier, but it's entirely up to you."
Because of course it is...
#Post#: 601--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: DEM Date: December 23, 2024, 3:55 pm
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[float=left max=45%][img
width=300]
HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/14c05210-c0d5-11ef-a48e-31e9bf2df54e.jpg[/img][/float]
[center]Brigid Kenneally, a.k.a. Saint
Dear sister, can you help me lie?
I’ve told the truth so many years
But no one seems to wanna hear that
I’m not someone else inside[/center]
App 6 | Innocent | Charisma 4 | Seductive | Mildly Identical to
Morgan
[hr]
“Keep explaining.” I nod with a smile, “That way, no matter
what’s explained, I still get the fun of experiencing it all for
the first time.
Besides, no matter how Sam he is, this isn’t Sam. And honestly?
Not really sure I want someone who isn’t us in my head right
now. Frankly, I’m not all that sure I’d want Sam-Sam in my head
right now. Because if it’s in my head, it’s in Morg’s head, and
the one thing I know I can always trust Sam to be is
untrustworthy.
He won’t break a deal, but he’ll exploit any loophole, and
anything not laid out nice and clear and comprehensively is a
whole lotta room for loopholes. So we’re gonna fraggin’ avoid
the drek outta all that right now, so ka?
Llayah, bitches.
<Got a feeling this is way past my pay grade, Morg. But he’s
offering crash space, and even if it ain’t our church, at least
it’ll be warm and dry.>
#Post#: 602--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: Chance Date: December 23, 2024, 6:14 pm
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[float=right max=40%][img
width=300]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/morgan01.jpg[/img][/float]
Morgan Kenneally aka Sinner[br]aka Morghaine Aithne ni Scathach
HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G9hbxrYkRg-EUJgNJZkoTD0TsFkvCJ4H/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104997028796321335810&rtpof=true&sd=true
I have a dream, I've seen the light
Don't put it out, and she's alright
Yeah, she's my sister
Gunbunny sidhe | App 6 | Scathach Knight | Kinda identical to
Brigid
[hr]
<I'll try listening more closely. Maybe it'll all make sense.>
She stretches a little bit in her seat, probably a distraction
technique for Lucien's benefit. <You think we'll ever get our
church back?> There's a hint of the forlorn in that; the pair
had spent a lot of time making that rundown old church into a
home. <Maybe we can find another one...>
She sighs gently and then takes a sip from her cup of 'kaf --
no, coffee -- and makes a happy sound. "Been a long time since I
had a cup this good," she murmurs, her gaze resting on Lucien.
"Thank you."
She's slipping out of cityspeak on purpose, trying to sound a
little less 'street' and a little more 'respectable.' This is an
alien concept to Morgan, but she tries anyway.
[hr]
[float=right
max=45%]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lucien325-224x300.jpg[/float]
Lucien
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/ooc-information/room-host-and-staff/chance/
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask, 'What if I fall?'
Oh, but my darling,
What if you fly?
NPC | Baristo and Proprietor of the Anywhere Café
[hr]
He laughs at that comment; even if he knows that Brigid is
hesitant to let him into her head, he doesn't let on. Lucien
simply begins to explain the world they've landed in as best he
can, mostly trying to hit on a spot where the histories diverge
with some questions peppered in to pin down the date when they
became different. As best he can tell, it was somewhere in the
late 1980s, but there's aspects that are very different even
before then.
Their food arrives while he's explaining; he simply lets them
eat and continues to talk, giving the pair as much information
as he can in a brief period of time. I mean, how do you explain
a whole world's history in a relatively-brief lecture?
[hr]
Morgan pauses about midway through devouring her burger. <Pretty
sure this is dead cow, not soy. Not sure I care though..> She
shrugs and goes back to eating, swatting Brigid's hand away from
her fries and nomming on them herself. The fizzycoke she chose
instead of a beer seems to wash things down well enough; she's
not worrying about anything except listening and enjoying her
meal.
Only when she's finished does she cut in with a comment to
Lucien: "So ka. We're in a weird world with no metahumanity or
cybernetics, and magic is hidden and people don't believe in it.
That puts us in a very interesting position, don't you think?"
<We could stand to make a LOT of cred in this place. We're not
competing against a whole city full of chummers. We're a
specialized, elite team.>
#Post#: 604--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: DEM Date: December 23, 2024, 7:14 pm
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[float=left max=45%][img
width=300]
HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/14c05210-c0d5-11ef-a48e-31e9bf2df54e.jpg[/img][/float]
[center]Brigid Kenneally, a.k.a. Saint
Dear sister, can you help me lie?
I’ve told the truth so many years
But no one seems to wanna hear that
I’m not someone else inside[/center]
App 6 | Innocent | Charisma 4 | Seductive | Mildly Identical to
Morgan
[hr]
My eyes narrow dangerously, lips pressing into a hard, thin
line… but fine, I’ll stick to my own fries for the moment.
<I think you’re right. It sounds like they’re still growing tons
of animals just to eat them.>
Which, honestly? I might object to, given all of the moral
implications of raising creatures for slaughter… except as it
turns out, dead animal is really tasty. Point one in favor of
StupidWorld™, I guess.
“It does,” I nod a little. “And the fact that we’re not beholden
to any of the existing power structures means we might be able
to work across them as free agents. Do the things for them that
they don’t let their own people do.”
<We could even put together a new team, pick and choose people
with just the right talents and temperment…>
“So.” I pick up my own soft drink and take a sip as I watch our
host. “You know anyone around here who can drive like we’re used
to?” Cuz let’s face it, a rigger’d be a major step toward
getting set up.
#Post#: 606--------------------------------------------------
Re: Seeing Double
By: Chance Date: December 24, 2024, 9:40 am
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[float=right max=40%][img
width=300]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/morgan01.jpg[/img][/float]
Morgan Kenneally aka Sinner[br]aka Morghaine Aithne ni Scathach
HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G9hbxrYkRg-EUJgNJZkoTD0TsFkvCJ4H/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104997028796321335810&rtpof=true&sd=true
I have a dream, I've seen the light
Don't put it out, and she's alright
Yeah, she's my sister
Gunbunny sidhe | App 6 | Scathach Knight | Kinda identical to
Brigid
[hr]
MY FRIES.
Hmph.
<Yeah. I doubt this is vat meat.> Still, I eat it, because...
well, it's already dead. I can't resurrect the cow from the
burger, so no sense in waste. Plus... OMG TASTY.
"I agree. Since we're completely unconnected to anyone or
anything but here, we're complete free agents. I mean, we'll
want to pick our contracts carefully, and with forethought, but
honestly, corps fragging over other corps bothers me not at all.
Li-ha?" I wait for her nod, knowing it will come, and then begin
contemplating a team.
<I was just thinking much the same thing. We'll want someone
with 'net chops, definitely. A meatshield, too. Maybe an adept
if we can dig one up...>
"That's a really good question," I agree, nodding eagerly. "We
will definitely want a driver. Pilot, too. Same person, if
possible. How's the drone technology here?"
[hr]
[float=right
max=45%]
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/lucien325-224x300.jpg[/float]
Lucien
HTML https://anywhere.infinimata.com/ooc-information/room-host-and-staff/chance/
There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask, 'What if I fall?'
Oh, but my darling,
What if you fly?
NPC | Baristo and Proprietor of the Anywhere Café
[hr]
Lucien laughs and holds up his hands quellingly. "The answer is,
I don't know, but I am sure we can find someone who can handle
the things you need. The state of the art with vehicle
automation is very rudimentary, though, so you're not going to
find someone who can drive with a piece of tech in their head.
"Depending on the job and the parameters, I can introduce you to
some people who want to do the net things. As for the rest...
well. What I really need here is a fixer. Unless you count me as
one. I can connect you to people as I find them, but I have to
locate them first. Even so, the two of you with your skills will
likely be able to get work without issue."
He folds his hands, smiling for a moment, looking thoughtful.
"We shouldn't advertise some of your talents openly. Most people
don't believe in magic in this world, believe it or not. Which
will make what you can do much more impressive. Which areas..."
He pauses, as if searching for something in his mind. "You'd be
very good at exfil and debrief work," he says with a hrm. "Or
pulling out corp secrets from high-ranking staff. And let's face
it, you're both highly decorative, which is its own kind of
asset, as you both well know."
He winks, and then steeples his fingers.
"You'll have some disadvantages without the Pact backing you up,
of course, but that's a topic for another day, when you're less
off-balance. For now, since you've always been good to.. another
part of me... I'm happy to put you both up here. I assume you'd
want adjoining rooms, or a suite? I'll consider it payment
enough for now if you two spend some time in the bar or the café
just being friendly and chatty. Nothing beyond that, of course,
unless you want to."
He pauses, and then parts his hands to show each of them holding
a golden coin.
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width=200]
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He hands one to each of them. "This will help you get back here
when you leave. There are portals all over the world. More of
them coming with time. For right now, if you leave, you're on
your own to find the way back unless you use a portal."
He motions to the British-style call booths along the front
wall. "Those lead to the portals; a list of the codes for each
portal is inside each of the booths. I'll also secure each of
you a cell phone that will get you access to the Internet, and
help you get maps, find places, and do all the good stuff you do
with a pocket secretary right now. The one big difference
between the two is that since this world doesn't use credsticks,
there's no place to insert one."
He draws a phone out of his pocket and lays it on the table,
allowing them to examine it. "Go ahead and play around with it a
bit if you like. It's easy to use; it's all a graphical flat
interface, touch-driven. So not an unfamiliar metaphor. I am
also considering who I could assign to you both as a sort of
native guide, who can keep a secret and give you some support. I
might just summon up a spirit friend of mine, if you don't mind
that."
He adds, with an amused expression, "You two have given me an
interesting puzzle to contemplate."
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